Parsons, in conjunction with the city of Bakersfield, recently marked the completion of the Wastewater Treatment Plant 3 expansion project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall hosted the event, and guests included City Councilmember Jacquie Sullivan, City Manager Alan Tandy, and Public Works Director Raul Rojas as well as Parsons Senior Vice President Surendra Thakral, Parsons Vice President Paul Skager, and Parsons Design Manager Louis Yu.

Parsons prepared a master plan for the $238-million expansion project and then designed the necessary facilities. Parsons also provided engineering services during construction.

The newly constructed plant sits on more than 200 acres and includes a 32 million-gallons-per-day (mgd) state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system, a 2 mgd recycled water treatment system, a 1.9 MW biomass energy recovery system (cogeneration), a 1.0 MW photovoltaic solar energy system, LEED-type administration and control buildings, arterial roads, and extensive landscaping. The upgrade will increase treatment capacity from 16 mgd to 32 mgd with enhanced biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and nitrogen removal for groundwater protection.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant 3 Expansion Project is the single largest capital improvement project in the city of Bakersfield�s history.

�Our goal for the Wastewater Treatment Plant 3 Expansion Project was to build a highly efficient, state-of-the-art facility, and we are very pleased with the outcome. We are also extremely happy with Parsons and the work they did on the design,� says Raul Rojas, Public Works Director.